Friday, June 16, 2017

The Student’s Guide to Punctuations: Exclamation Mark

As an IELTS test taker, never pursue complicated linguistic principles during your review without first fully understanding the basics of English grammar.

Going for the more complex language rules before having a solid grasp of language essentials is a recipe for disaster. On one hand, you can use complex maneuvers in discourse, wowing your audience with your advanced communication skills. On the other, there is a huge chance that your good impression can go down the drain if you make simple mistakes due to your insufficient rudimentary English grammar knowledge.

This is the reason exceptional training facilities, like the IELTS review center in Makati, revisit elementary grammar rules in the first few days of their course. IELTS review center teachers conduct lesson recaps not only to hone their students’ communication skills but also to prepare them for the more challenging grammar rules of the language.

One of the essentials of English that most test takers overlook is the proper use of punctuations. Typically used to end sentences, punctuations can also be used to signal pauses, idea transition, indicate inquiries, and express strong emotions depending on the reference mark(s) used. If you are taking the IELTS exam, make sure that you include these sentence components in your review.

Also known as the exclamation point, exclamation marks are typically used to indicate an interjection or an exclamation. It can express strong emotions, forceful statements, shouting or high volume. Examples:

I got a high score in my IELTS exam! (strong emotions: joy)

Stop slamming the door when you go out! (forceful statement)

Fire! There’s a fire in the kitchen! (shouting or high volume)

When using the exclamation mark in sentences with quotations, consider the following rules:

• If the exclamation mark applies to the entire sentence, place it at the end of the sentence.

Example:I don’t care if it’s “only a paper cut,” it hurts!

• If the exclamation mark applies to the quotation only, place it inside the quotation marks.

Example:“The animals are loose!” she screamed.

When using the exclamation mark in sentences with parenthetic expressions, consider the following rules:

• If the exclamation mark applies to the entire sentence (regardless of the parenthetic expression), place it at the end of the sentence.

Example: He won the bet and got thrice his monthly wage (in cash)!

• If the exclamation mark applies to the parenthetic expression only, place it inside the parenthesis)

Example: He was lucky he only got a few minor scrapes from their accident (his friend broke his arm!).

Integrate exclamation marks to your IELTS review practices. Enroll in an IELTS review center and do activities that would require you to use exclamatory sentences. Keep in mind that the grammar rules listed above are just some of the principles that govern this reference mark. Take exceptional training courses, like those offered in the IELTS review center in Makati, to learn more!